The Muscat Singers Choir is celebrating a massive half-century of music-making this year.
In October 1974, a dozen enthusiastic amateur singers met in the drawing room of the British Embassy Residence. It was hosted by the first Ambassador to Oman, Sir Donald Hawley - who conducted with a knitting needle - together with David Phillips, first representative of The British Council in Oman, and intrepid music teacher, Brenda Dean. Quite a musical legacy from those early diplomatic pioneers then, and thus the ‘Muscat Singers’ was born and named.
That first winter the Singers performed Christmas Carols on the floor slab of what is now the Dolphin Club in Boushar, and on the British Embassy lawns – a tradition which still exists today. In January 1975, they embarked on a programme of selections from Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S) operetta. In the March they staged, ‘Trial by Jury’ in the tiny theatre of the original Muttrah home of the British Council, where dance steps were kept to a minimum for fear that the building might collapse!
In 1976 PDO offered the Cinema Hall (recently demolished) for productions of ‘HMS Pinafore’, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, ‘Joseph’ and a Pantomime of ‘Cinderella’ using British and Dutch expatriates.
In May 1978 the Singers found a permanent home at the new British School in Madinat Qaboos, where it stayed for many years. ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ was performed that winter and ‘The King and I’ in April 1979. And so the Choir moved strongly into the 1980s with ‘The Mikado’ in 1983 and Fauré’s Requiem in 1984.
Longest standing existing member of the Singers, and intermittent Secretary over the years, is Oman resident Kate Clarke. She first joined in 1992 when the choir was of a substantial size and was embarking on a large-scale production of ‘Iolanthe’. In subsequent years, numbers began to fall and rehearsals were held in members’ villas – notably hosted by PDO palaeontologist Randall Penney, now sadly departed and much missed.
Luckily, Tony Wilson came forward from a military background in the Royal Guard as the new conductor, and Muscat Singers gradually began to emerge from its darkest period. The choir attracted a broad community of expatriates, and the concert of 2004 restored popular confidence in the choral ensemble. Things were on the up for the group, and the arrival of Katherine Cole as MD in 2005 brought the quality of performance to even higher levels as the choir grew in confidence and numbers.
Elaine Cockerham remembers that she first joined Muscat Singers in the early 1990s, shortly after arriving in the Sultanate:
“I first attended in the middle of rehearsals for a production of G&S ‘HMS Pinafore’. I had sung soprano in the chorus of this a few years previously so knew the part reasonably well. Since I was the youngest soprano in the group, I was awarded the solo role of Josephine - by default! My over-riding memory of ‘Iolanthe’ is of the ladies’ chorus all trying to be ‘dainty little fairies’. However, we sounded more like a herd of elephants jumping around on the wooden stage of the British school! We performed several other G&S operettas over the next few years, but in later years G&S productions fell out of favour owing to the effort of not only singing, but the need to act and dance as well.
Over the years we had a variety of musical directors, all of whom brought differing skills and perspectives to the role. I think that was a great strength, as this diversity led to being exposed to a wealth of knowledge about music, composers, styles and techniques. I spent 20 years as a member of the group over a 30-year period. I shall always be grateful to Muscat Singers for widening my musical knowledge and giving me the opportunity to perform in front of very forgiving and supportive audiences, whilst also making some wonderful friends along the way”.
Gwen Willson, Musical Director 2009 – 2014:
"Muscat Singers has to be one of the most eclectic choirs in the world, and 50 years on strikes a deep chord of longing to be together as humans who need to make music together. I love the way Muscat Singers is so tied to learning and personal growth. We always rehearsed and gave concerts in schools, and had a diverse community of educators, bankers, geologists, ecologists, students and doctors in the group over the years. I was so proud to serve as director for five years. The friendships were life-enhancing. It is to the credit of Oman’s peace-loving nature that a grassroots group like Muscat Singers has thrived, and continues to blossom for all these years”.
During Gwen’s tenure, in 2010 choir rehearsals shifted permanently to the American International School, Ghala. MS is privileged to give concerts each semester in the Bosch Center for Performing Arts.
Bringing the story forward to the present, Muscat Singers’ latest concert in May was a huge success under the Music Directors, Rob Millner and Alec Jackson.
Their programme reflected the cultural diversity of the choir, with 15 different nationalities represented in songs and collaborative music ensembles. Hopes are that ‘Muscat Singers’ will continue going from strength to strength into the future with its formidable legacy.
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